DIY Piggy Bank Gift Boxes

Something about allowing your child to create a customized piece of art on canvas to hang in their living space brings such a sense of accomplishment.

This month’s resolution project requires just a few simple art supplies, and this simple tutorial makes it possible to hang a customized masterpiece after just one afternoon of creative play.

To start, prep your canvas with two coats acrylic craft paint in your desired paint color, allowing it to dry completely between each coat. You can use a heat embossing gun to speed the drying process.

Once dry, you can add additional paint to pull in some accent colors as I’ve done in the upper left and lower right corners. You can add these additional colors by applying with small paint brushes or even finger painting. Again, allow each individual color to dry completely before adding the next one so your color don’t muddle together.

Once your paint is dry, you can add texture, shimmer and/or shine by applying Goosebumps Texture Spray, Shimmer Spritz or Clear Creative Medium, all by Imagine Crafts, over portions of your canvas or even the entire canvas. I’ve used all three on my project, but the texture and shine are hard to convey through photos and is best seen in person.

The Clear Creative Medium also doubles as an adhesive/sealant for adding punched pieces to your project. I’ve used both the Medium and Large Amore Squeeze Punch on some Swiss Dot White Cardstock from Bazzill.

Practice forming your clothesline into your desired word or name before beginning to commit with glue to make sure the word with fit on your canvas. Once you have a word chosen, cut an appropriate length of clothesline using the Amplify® Mixed Media 8” Shears. Tape the cut end to keep from fraying as you work.

Form your word using small drops of hot glue every several inches to hold the shape of your word in place until you can add the decorative embroidery. Cut your clothesline again at the end of your word and dip the end in a quick-drying craft glue to keep the clothesline from unraveling. Once dry you can move to the next step.

Cut a 12” length of embroidery floss and thread onto an embroidery needle. Double knot the loose end. Stitch over portions of the clothesline with tight stitched places close together. You’ll want to insert your needle as close to either side of the clothesline as possible with each stitch. When finished with a color, bring your thread to the back of the canvas and knot the remaining thread 2-3 times as close to the canvas as possible to secure your thread. Change colors when desired.

Embellish further with brads, gems, or chipboard pieces that help support the theme of your canvas